1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an applicator ring for condoms with a ring that keeps the condom tense.
2. The Prior Art
Up to now, condoms are put on the market in a rolled state, packaged in envelopes or foils. For use, the condoms are applied by hand once the packaging has been opened. The possibilities to use them incorrectly are multiple, which jeopardizes the safety of contraception. First of all, the condoms may be mechanically damaged by finger nails or the like during the process of opening the packaging by tearing. Furthermore, when the condom is rolled up, it is not directly evident in which direction it has to be unrolled. By trying to unroll it in the wrong direction, the risk of damage is again given. Additionally, the protective effect is reduced since a potential spermicide is only coating one side of the condom. The risk is thereby given that semen gets on the outer side of the condom, which obviously destroys the intended effect. The unrolling the condom moreover constitutes a disagreeable or unwanted procedure for many users.
The WO 93/21873 discloses a tool for applying condoms that consists of an annular frame with a tub-shaped cross section onto which a rolled-up condom may be placed. When the ring, with the condom applied, is pulled over the penis, the condom unrolls in the process. on one side, the disadvantage of this embodiment is that the ring has to have a relatively great diameter to fit over the penis, since it constitutes an essentially rigid component part. The mounted condom is hereby stretched to a great extent and this extension involves the risk of damage. On the other side, guidance of the condom by this device is relatively bad and the condom may slide out untimely.
Furthermore, an applicator for contraceptive devices is known from DE 42 41 441 A, by means of which the contraceptive device is essentially unrolled by means of negative pressure. In practice, such devices proved not to be reliably operative. Additionally, the creation of the negative pressure on one side of the condom by means of movable cylinders or by any other means (a pump for example) and the application on the penis on the other side of the condom cannot be coordinated in a precise manner.
According to a previous suggestion of the applicant, a condom is attached to a ring by means of elastic or articulated holding and unrolling devices, rolls being arranged thereon so as to face each other in pairs. The manufacturing of the rolls is relatively complicated so that there is a need for a device that is reasonably priced and simple in construction.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an applicator ring for condoms that avoids the above-mentioned drawbacks and that permits to apply condoms in a safe, reliable and convenient way. It is another object of the invention to provide a device that further simplifies the procedure of application of condoms with the help of such an applicator ring.
According to the invention, the solution of this object is to articulate at least three connecting rods on the ring, a retaining claw being pivotally attached at the end of each rod and being designed to clutch the roll of the condom. Thanks to the design according to the invention, the condom is held in the ring in a flexible and yielding way so that the application of the condom no longer constitutes an irksome procedure for the user.
The essential feature of the present invention is that the condom is held by three claws that are evenly spaced on the circumference of the ring. If necessary, more than three claws, five for example, may be provided. The aperture of the condom is thus securely kept in a position that is suitable for introducing the penis therein. The overall structure of the applicator ring is so flexible that the adaptation to the most varied conditions of use occurs automatically and smoothly.
The retaining claws are preferably provided with a cylindrical through hole, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of the roll of the condom when it is rolled up and the through hole is preferably provided in longitudinal direction with a slot serving to unroll the condom, said slot being smaller in width than the thickness of the roll of the rolled-up condom. The rolled-up condom may thus be securely held in the through hole and can only be released through the slot when the roll has become smaller by unrolling. The retaining force gets smaller as the condom is unrolled. If the applicator ring is to be pulled off an only partially unrolled condom, this may be done by a small jerk. Its removal is made even more easy by the pivotal fixation of the retaining claw.
In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the claws each consist of a component part with a hook-shaped cross section and of a covering part that may be fastened to the hook-shaped part. The covering part is preferably fastened onto the hook-shaped part by means of a snap. In this embodiment, the condom may easily be inserted during manufacturing as long as the covering part has not yet been mounted. By latching the covering part or by fastening it by another means, the condom gets locked in the through hole.
As an alternative, the retaining claws may be made in one piece out of a flexible material. In this embodiment, the number of piece parts of the applicator ring is reduced, which further simplifies the process of manufacturing. During the assembling process, the condom may be pressed into the through hole by an appropriate automatic packaging machine, whereby the claw is being deformed. The retaining claws may for example be provided with apertures so that the claws may be opened for inserting the packaged condom by the introduction of pins. An automatic packaging machine may thus be used in a particularly advantageous manner. In such an embodiment, the overall applicator ring in particular may be made in one piece out of plastic, wherein the corresponding articulations are formed by places of reduced thickness of material.
It is of particular advantage to have the connecting rods pivotally arranged on the applicator ring between a first and a second end position, wherein, in the first end position, they are essentially level with the plane of the applicator ring, whereas in the second end position they lie essentially at right angles to the plane of the applicator ring and to have the slot of the retaining claws oriented in the direction of the pivoting movement of the corresponding connecting rod. The unrolling procedure may thus be accomplished with hardly any friction in a particularly easy manner.
In order to meet all the legal requirements and to increase safety, it is suitable to package the ringsxe2x80x94in exactly the same way as the individually packaged condoms. In order to make the unpacking procedure more convenient, the ring may be provided on its outer circumference with a cutting edge that cuts open the packaging when pressure is exerted.
The present invention also relates to a device for unpacking applicator rings as they have been described herein above with a housing, in which a tab is slidably guided. Corresponding embodiments are indicated in the description of the drawing.
A xe2x80x9ccondom pistolxe2x80x9d as described in WO 98/01095 may be used as an alternative.